Diversidade de vespas sociais (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) em diferentes fitofisionomias do Centro-Leste do Estado de São Paulo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Determinação de cepas de Wolbachia em populações naturais de Solenopsis spp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) analisadas via Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST): diversidade genética, coevolução e recombinação

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Ecologia química no controle biológico de fitófagos e respectivos predadores e parasitoides

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Musca domestica as a host for mass rearing of parasitoid Palmistichus elaeisis (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Seletividade de inseticidas a alguns dos inimigos naturais na cultura do algodão

The aim of this work was study the selectivity of insecticides in favor of natural enemies in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum latifolium Hurtch Lr), DeltaOpal cultivar, in the city of Malhada (BA), and to know the associated beneficial fauna. The study was conducted at the agricultural year of 2010/2011. The design was conducted in randomized blocks with six treatments and four replications. The treatments were: (1) Fipronil 200 SC (0.38 L.ha-1); (2) Alphacypermethrin 100 SC (0.30 L.ha-1), (3) Lufenuron 50 EC (0.30 L.ha-1), (4) Imidacloprid 200 SC (0.30 L.ha-1), (5) Methyl parathion 600 EC (1.00 L.ha-1), and (6) control (water). The product was applied 80 days after emergence, and the evaluations were performed one day before application and 1, 7 and 14 days after application (DAA). The samples were taken using the sampling method beating cloth and Moericke traps. Natural enemies were brought to the laboratory for sorting, counting and identification by family. The toxicity of the products ranged according to the group of natural enemies. Imidacloprid is selective to the spiders and insecticides are moderately toxic (Methyl Parathion and Alphacypermethrin: 1 and 14th DAA; Lufenuron: 14th DAA) or toxic (Fipronil and Alphacypermethrin: 7th DAA). Fipronil (1 DAA), Alphacypermethrin (7th DAA) and Methyl  Parathion (14th DAA) are moderately toxic to adult ladybirds. The analyzed insecticides are toxic to the larvae of ladybirds, with more impact until seven days after the application, with the exception of Methyl Parathion classified, as innocuous until this period. The occurrence of 13 families of spiders and 18 families of parasitic Hymenoptera is registered in cotton agroecosystems in the region of Malhada, in the state of Bahia.

Capacidade de parasitismo de Trichogramma pretiosum em ovos de Trichoplusia ni em diferentes temperaturas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effects of UV-B radiation on the antagonistic ability of Clonostachys rosea to Botrytis cinerea on strawberry leaf disc

Human activities are altering the concentrations of ozone in the troposphere and hence in the incidence of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) on Earth’s surface. Although representing only five percent of UV-B radiation striking the Earth's surface, this radiation has the potential to cause effects on biologically active molecules. Sensitivity to UV-B radiation is one of the limitations of biological control of plant pathogens in the field. The objectives of this work were to evaluate the effects of UV-B on several isolates of Clonostachys rosea, and the ability of an isolate of C. rosea, previously selected for its tolerant to UV-B radiation, to control Botrytis cinerea on strawberry leaves in controlled conditions (strawberry leaf discs). The germination of C. rosea conidia was inversely proportional to the irradiance. The most tolerant strain (LQC62) had relative germination of about 60% after irradiation of 4.2kJ/m2, and this strain was selected to be used in the subsequent studies. The data showed that even with exposure to UV-B radiation, C. rosea LQC62 controlled the pathogen. Conidial concentrations of strain LQC62 above 105 conidia/ml showed higher tolerance to UV-B radiation and increased ability to control more than 75% of the B. cinerea even with exposure to radiation. According to our results, in addition to showing less growth under UV-B, conidia of C. rosea had lower antagonistic ability. Further studies are needed to observe the tolerance of B. cinerea conidia to UV-B radiation and thereby prove that an environment with increased UV-B radiation may be favoring the pathogen due to a lower ability of C. rosea to control the pathogen in conditions of increased UV-B.

Strains of Coniothyrium minitans reduce the emission of apothecia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Sclerotia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Ss) can survive for long time in soil and are the main inoculum source of the white mold disease. An alternative for reducing this inoculum is the use of parasites, such as Coniothyrium minitans (Cm). We evaluated the potential of Cm isolates for the biological control of Ss in beans. The effect of the temperature on the growth of 15 isolated of Cm was evaluated in vitro. The hyperparasitism ability of Cm was evaluated in soil infested with sclerotia and conditioned in pots. The infested soil was treated with conidia suspension of the antagonists, fluazinan or sterile distilled water. After seven days at 20°C, the sclerotia were removed from soil and placed inside Petri dishes over bean leaves previously disinfested. The germination and parasitism of sclerotia were evaluated after 7 to 10 days. To evaluate the apothecia emission, soil infested with sclerotia of Ss and treated as described was maintained at 18°C and the number of emerged apothecia was counted up to 84 days after inoculation. The emergence of bean plants in soil infested with sclerotia and mycelium of the pathogen and treated as described was evaluated in greenhouse. The ideal temperature for growth of Cm isolates varied from 18 to 19°C and at 30-35°C they were complete inhibited. The isolates of Cm promoted less than 10% of reduction in viability of the sclerotia, but they significantly reduced the emission of apothecia. Two isolates increased the emergence of plants in relation to the inoculated check, but was significantly lower than the non-inoculated check. Field tests will be conduct to confirm the potential of the selected isolates to reduce the inoculum source of the pathogen.

Improving mass rearing techniques for Cleruchoides noackae (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae)

The bronze bug, Thaumastocoris peregrinus, is an important pest affecting Eucalyptus plantations. The egg parasitoid Cleruchoides noackae was introduced in Brazil in 2012 for biological control of this pest. A mass rearing of C. noackae was established at EMBRAPA Florestas. This paper summarizes the main techniques developed to date in order to maximize the production of adult C. noackae. The use of eggs laid on towel paper strips increased the number of emerging parasitoids when compared to cutouts of Eucalyptus leaves. Host eggs 2 days old are preferred by C. noackae over 3- or 4-day-old ovipostures. Eggs can be stored at 5 ºC for 30 days after being parasitized without signifi cant effects on parasitoid emergence; such storage is a convenient strategy. The mean parasitoid emergence varies signifi cantly with the density of host eggs; an increase in the number of host eggs offered reduced the number of parasitoids that emerged. These improvements have played a signifi cant role in the production of C. noackae that has made possible mass release of C. noackae in Brazil and the establishment of natural populations of the parasitoid, as recently confi rmed.

Produção semissólida de metarhizium anisopliae e beauveria bassiana em diferentes substratos e efeito da radiação ultravioleta e da temperatura sobre propágulos desses entomopatógenos

The present study was aimed to evaluate different (semi-solid) media for the production of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana propagules, and to evaluate the tolerance of these propagules to ultraviolet radiation and temperature. The experiments were performed at the Biological Control Laboratory of the Instituto Biológico at Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. For both fungi, 6 repetitions were performed for each of the 17 treatments: corn starch, full rice, parboiled rice, type-1 rice, type-2 rice, oat flakes, canjiquinha [grits], wheat flour, raw cassava flour, yellow corn flour, special wheat flour, corn flour, corn in grains, cassava starch, soy in grains, crushed wheat, and turf. The viability analysis was done in plastic plates containing BDA. For the bioassays involving exposure to ultraviolet light and temperature, BDA was also used for viability analysis, and each treatment was exposed to the UV radiation for 0, 25 and 50 seconds, the temperature exposure being at 20, 25, 30 and 35º C. Using a Potter tower, 2 mL of fungus suspension from each treatment was inoculated to the Diatraea saccharalis caterpillars. Regarding the sporulation, the largest concentrations of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana were found for the treatments with parboiled rice, type-1 rice, type-2 rice, yellow corn flour, corn flour and crushed wheat. The viability of all treatments was superior to 94.00%. Also, the longer the duration of the exposition to the UV, the smaller the number of fertile conidia. At 35o C, a significant loss of conidia viability was observed, and all the treatments presented some level of virulence.

Seletividade de produtos fitossanitários utilizados na cultura da soja para pupas de Trichogramma pretiosum Riley, 1879 (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Avaliação da capacidade de renovação do epitélio do mesêntero e seus efeitos no potencial reprodutivo de fêmeas adultas de Ceraeochrysa claveri (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) alimentadas durante a fase larval com óleo de nim (azadirachta indica A. JUSS)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Caracterização e comparação de Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: braconidae) em situação de criação massal utilizando microssatélites e morfologia

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Entomologia Agrícola) - FCAV

Preface to Lesser Known Large dsDNA Viruses. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology 328

Several large dsDNA-containing viruses such as poxviruses (smallpox) and herpes viruses are well known among the scientific community, as well as the general populace, because they cause human diseases. The large dsDNA insect-infecting baculoviruses are also well known in the scientific community because they are used both as biological control agents and as protein expression systems. However, there are other large dsDNA-containing viruses, including the giant 1.2-Mb mimivirus, which are less well known even though all of them play important roles in everyday life. Seven of these virus families are reviewed in this book.

Solanum americanum as a reservoir of natural enemies of the tomato red spider mite, Tetranychus evansi (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Brazilian populations of the pathogenic fungus Neozygites floridana (Weiser & Muma) Remaudiere & S. Keller (Entomophthoromycotina: Entomophthorales) and the predatory mite Phytoseiulus longipes Evans (Acari: Phytoseiidae) are potential candidates for introduction into Africa for classical biological control of the tomato red spider mite, Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard (Acari: Tetranychidae). The efficiency of these natural enemies against T. evansi has been demonstrated under laboratory conditions, but little is known about their performance on native Solanaceae in the field. The American nightshade, Solanum americanum Mill., is native to the Americas and may serve as an alternative host plant for T. evansi and its natural enemies in the absence of tomato plants. In this work, we studied the population dynamics of T. evansi and its natural enemies on S. americanum in a screen house, semi-field and field plots in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, to evaluate the potential of natural enemies for controlling T. evansi. Of the four natural enemies found in association with T. evansi, only N. floridana and P. longipes were clearly associated with the reduction of the populations of T. evansi. Neozygites floridana was observed in a screen house, semi-field and field plots, but P. longipes was only detected in the semi-field plots. Increases in the population of T. evansi were always followed by increases in the density of one of these natural enemies, suggesting that they were important factors regulating T. evansi populations on S. americanum. The presence of this host plant near the release sites in Africa thus might increase the chances for the permanent establishment of these natural enemies.